ECS Tuning

orthojoe

Any ideas on how to firm up the pedal? I have the GT3 MC and it only decreases the travel of the pedal. I'd love to get the same firm pedal feel as a 986 boxster. I have no idea why they softened the pedals on the 987s...

ECS Tuning

Have you bled your system recently?

Frequent track days can tax your brake fluid beyond its normal use range. Even high performance fluids like ATE Super Blue require changes after the heat cycle stresses of track days or Driver Ed events.

orthojoe

I bleed my system before every track event and use motul RBF600. The GT3 master cylinder will only decrease pedal travel. It is still overboosted and does not have a firm endpoint like GT3s and prior generation 996 and 986s. Other rennlisters have noted the same with the MC upgrade, so it's not just me. If you can find a solution, you'd be on to something big.

kyrocks

OrthoJoe is correct.

stevecolletti

+1
It's amazing how well 'modern' brakes work for how terrible they feel.

As I wrote in another post a 92 Voyager has better feeling brakes than the 987.

orthojoe

I can finally brag that I have my own 'gang'. I hereby dub it: the 'master cylinder gang'.... Our rivals are the 'mushy pedals' gang. :finger snap:

Schmidts Cat

What pads are you running Joe? When I had my yellow pagids in my brakes were amazing... not that the pedal was firmer, but the amount of grip fools the brain into thinking it is! I had to remove them for street, cause they were super loud/squeaky.

Edit: Oh yeah... you have PCCBs. Never mind!

orthojoe

Yup. I'm stuck using the stock P40s. I actually just finished flushing the system with fresh RBF 600 fluid and a new front set of P40 stock pads to get ready for June 16th.

bensf

You may want to see this post on pads and PCCB.

https://rennlist.com/forums/9577361-post9.html

orthojoe

Tempting to try. They actually make the pfc-08s for my setup. Just a little scared to be the first guy to try it on a Porsche with CCBs...

kyrocks

True. The pedal feel with Pagid yellows is firmer, but it is still not as firm as a base 997. There is still gradual pedal travel and mushiness with firm pressure on the brake. In a 997, the pedal stops with firm pressure. In a 987, it continues gradually towards the floor.

Schmidts Cat

Agreed... but, I do have the GT3 Master cylinder upgrade, and Motul, and braided lines... that seems to help too. Still not like my old GT3 (if I can remember)

2slow2speed

FWIW, my CR with the GiroDiscs, Carbotech XP10's or XP8's pads, Motul 600, stock lines front and braided lines rears, the brakes feel fine.

I used to have a little bit of a hard time heel and toe downshifting with the stock pads and either the stock rotors or the GiroDiscs when pushing hard because the pads would not bite well. After swapping to the XP10 or XP8 that is no longer an issue.

Whenever I swap pads I make sure to loosen up the lid on the brake fluid reservoir prior to pushing the caliper pistons in with the piston spreader. After installing the pads back I tighten the lid of the reservoir and then proceed to turn on the engine and press on the brake pedal several times until it becomes firm before proceeding to the next corner of the car.

I try to minimize any unnecessary back pressure in the braking system to prevent any possible damage to the ABS/ABD system. I recall reading a post by Sleepless on planet-9 where he mentioned that his ABS module would allow way too much flow-by causing a soft pedal feel on his car.

Also keep in mind that the 987.2's braking system is different, it has the prefill feature as well as not suffering from Ice mode when using R-comps or Hoosiers.

I personally didn't notice any major differences in pedal feel between my 2006 Boxster S, 2008 Cayman S Sport or my current Cayman R. The brakes on my 2004 GT3 were definitely firmer, the stock pads would overwhelm the N-spec PS2 even during street driving, but then again the 996GT3 had 350mm/330mm setup for the rotors larger than the stock Cayman S/Boxster S setup.

I don't have any plans to upgrade the brake MC while staying with the stock calipers. If and when I decide to go with a true BBK then that might be an option that I will consider.

10 GT3

This is very unnecessary unless you are upgrading to much larger brakes. Stock master cylinder is more than adequate. Good brake flush with good racing fluid (Motul 600 for example) results in really good pedal feel. Beyond that, nothing gives a firmer feel than installing stainless steel brake lines. GT3 has different master cylinder with proportioning due to the much larger fluid flow needed for the larger brake calipers. Due to the significantly larger front calipers, it has more front brake bias. Just installing this on a 986/987 could very easily cause a brake balance shift that the driver may not be ready for. I assume in posting this add that you are willing to accept that liability.